Welsh Newspapers

Search 15 million Welsh newspaper articles

Hide Articles List

24 articles on this Page

THIRD SERIES.

News
Cite
Share

THIRD SERIES. [Edited by W. FERGUSSON IRVINE and J. BROWNBILL.,) Being Local Gleanings, Historical and Antiquarian relating to Cheshire, Chester and North IFaZes, from many scattered fields. Oh, let me teach you how to knit again This scattered corn into one mutual Sheaf. Titus Andronicus, V, iii, 70, 71. NOTES. [fi3ï] THE REXT ROLL OF LOlm DERBY'S WIRRAL PROPERTY, 1521-2. (Continued from No. 627.) The interest in this instalment centres in the reference to the "Derehouse," in Bidston Deer Park, which would afford a shelter and feeding place for the deer during the winter, and the refer- ence to the maintenance of the Hall, shewing that a building, roofed with tiles, preceded the present Elizabethan structure, no doubt standing on the same site. WM. FERGUSSON IRVINE. Birkenhead. RENTAL-Contmued. DECAYED RENTS. One forge in Salgham Massey late in tenure of Hugh Penkcth —fallen down 1-d. One dovecot in Moreton, charged for above, therefore deficit 6s. Sd. Two pieces of pasture called Le Hoke, and the Le Valance, now included under Park of Biddeston lis. 8d. One tenement in Neston, by default of collector 4s. Od. Deficit, lis. 8d. JB EES AND ANNUITIES. A certain annual rent granted by Thomas late Earl of Derby to James Stanley gentleman his brother by charter'for the life of the said James, for £ 40 issuing from the Manor of Bidstoii, and further the said Thomas granted the said James S50 out of the demesne of Bidston by his last will and testament. Fee of Robert Liegh, bailiff and park-keeper at Bidston (iOs. 8(1. per annum, granted for the term of his life by Thomas late Earl under dato Aug. 2nd, 1!) Hen. VII. Paid Thurstan Tiklesley Esq., by the hand of Hugh Mathew chaplain Sept. 12, 13 Henry VIII.. £ 70 6s. 8d. [Later hand] Paid Thurstan Tildesley by the same Hugh after this account B4 8s. 11M. Summa £ 74 15s. 7M. Sum allowed and paid £78 7s. 11. Debited 50s. 7d. From which is allowed him 12d. for as many pence paid to 12 tenants of Bidston, Moreton and Salgham, for food for the same there being and sworn, for the valuing of the turf coming from the tubaryof the lord in Biddeston. above, sold this year, as has been done of ancient usage. Debit 49s. 7d. [Further deductions.] For the building of Le Dereliouse in the Park at Bidston this year, including 8s. paid for 4 cartloads of hay brought for the use of the same house (besides the carriage of each, 2d.) 2s. lid. paid to a builder work- ing upon the said Derehous for (i days at 5d. a day and the builder's man at 4d. a day. Also 20d. paid to a tiler for le poyntyng and repair of the tiles of the hall and chambers of Biddeston Manor house this year, 4 days at 5d. a day. Also 5s. for the rent of a certain pasture called W oltonwodde" claimed by the Prior of Birkhed, and occupied by him for many years past aiid granted to him by the late Earl of Derby 30s. 5d. NOTF,Alt(, iced by John .Da-v «.•■< Kt., general Supervisor of the King. 1.638] FREE GRAMMAR SCHOOL O F FRODSHAM. Among the many yeomen's bequests to the poor of Frodsham, and to the Feoffees of this, one of the earliest schools in the country (temp, dissolution of Norton Abbey by Henry VIII.) were the following, from excerpts from the Will of "Mr. Robert Wriggan," who was Master of the School in 1662. I give and bequeath the Summe of Tenn pounds of Lawfull money of England to be laid out and disposed of for the use of the poor of the parish of .Frodsham in the County of Westchester, where I was born, by the Minister, Churchwardens and Overseers of the same parish successively as they in their discretions shall think fit and the Interest and product thereof my will is shall be payd and disposed of to and amongst the poor people of the said Parish of Frodsham on St. Thomas Day or Good Friday yearly for ever bv the Minister and Church Wardens of the said parish for the time being. Also I give and bequeath the summe of Tenn pounds of like good money to the Free School of the said parish of Frodsham to be laid out and dis- ,i posed of by the Feoffees of the said School with the approbation of the School Mr. of the same School for the time being and 1ny Brother in Law Thomas IVebster. And my Will is that the Interest and product thereof shall be payd yearly for ever to the Mr. of the said School for the time being." The School Masters were often clergymen and sometimes the curates of the Parish. The School was founded as, and always accounted a "Free Grammar School," not what it has lately been Called an "Endowed School," though it had its endowments, like many others, originally from the produce of the 'kales of the monastic estates, and, afterwards, from such devises and bequests as testators like Mr. W riggan were generous enough to make. The school was held in the Church, vestry (?) up to the end of Elizabeth's reign, and perhaps a little later, when the Churchyard Schoolhouse was erected, or rebuilt ? In an old book possessed bv the writer, one of the scholars (J. H.) pencilled a rhyme, in or about 1670-5, that his name and nation were so and so, and it was his book, finishing up with Pray do not take me for a Fool, For I do go to Frodsham School! Here is clear testimony of the distinguished position once, alas! it occupied in, at least, the estimation of its pupils. X. 11539] BKITLAND AND HELSBY LETTERS. I. The letter following this introduction, and curiously directed —" These—ffor Richard Helsby Esqr att—Helsby in Cheshire iIrodsham Bagg ■ and sealed with a chevron between 3 trefoils slipped, the crest being a bird with a trefoil in its beak, bears an early postmark with the date (May 21) within a very small one-lino circle. lettered 21 It was written by Mr. Britland. Serjeant-at-law. who must therefore (particularly at that period) have been a very eminent counsel. He had, also, an estate in a rather wild part of the Macclesfield Hundred, and practised in the reigns of Charles II. and William and Marv. (See Earwaker's "East Cheshire.") But, "Richard Helsby, esqr. at this date, is almost as difficult to affiliate as "a child of nature"; at all events, as difficult as is "The Reverend James Ellesby, the worthy Rector of Chiswick," as the old Queen Anne History of Middlesex describes him. He also was Mr. Serjeant Britland's contemporary, and rector lor about years, when he resigned (tor a better post, as the author of a History of Chiswick said) in Queen Anne's reign. He does not appear to have graduated at either Oxford or Cambridge. Now, the patron of Chiswick was Lord Bellasyse, Earl Fauconberg, whose family, bv marriage, had acquired the estates of the Suttons of Sutton near Macclesfield—one of these, Sir Richard Sutton having been a great benefactor, if not a part founder, of Brazenose Coll., Oxon., of which Bishop Smiih, of Cuerdlev, on the Lancashire side of the Mersey is generally called the Founder; and of vhich a rich priest of eaverhaiu, adjoining old Frodsham parish, was also a consid erable Benefactor as were Sir John Port, Knt., and others of or in Cheshire in or about the reigns of the two Henrv iudors and Elizabeth. Nevertheless, a strong susp^on arises that R-etoV Ellesby (who or whos? ancestors had evidently dropped their IPs '), descended from the sham merchant of the reign of Henry VII., viz. William Hellesby of armiger who took up his residence ,u London, and who JivedI but did not 'flourish,' in the days of the ars of the Roses. However, as to 'Richard Helsby, Esq the onlv person of those names, at that period, in tlio pedigrees, who would answer his description, was a younger son, born in 1620, and in 1044 N-()Iun a teered,' as a seape-goat, 'for ail the Township of Helsbv' (as a gentleman well might), to serve in the wars, on the side of the Parliament. So that if he is identical, as is very probable, with Mr. Serjeant Britland's friend, he would be upwards of 80 when the latter's, perhaps excess of, courtesy, for tlio-^e times, might have arisen either from friendship, or sympathy with some distinguished act, during 'the great Civil War, 011 the side to which Britland's family leaned. But, this courtesy title, to a younger son, too, may be compared with that n-iven to an elder son, "John Helsby, esq.' by his attorney-at-law in a letter in Jas. II reign, and also in his burial entry in 1731 or 1728. The first signa- ture, however, of the first Richard of 1(120, is a very fine one 011 the title of a shockingly do^-eared Greek Grammar of James I's. time. ° Mr. Serjeant Britland's letter runs as follows •- S r.—I had with mee this day .Mrs Worthington nivT^ niue -v r letter in answer to you arc not willing to give any more than what you have olfer'd in y'r former letter in own«!l& °tL°:>Yort,iingtons clayme in her fathers will of 'inr ra ^le Legatees of her lariK.is will of ^Oli a peeee to his 3 daughters & a myS'S1Sf t0 bae P'd b>' S*le oithehLt )'mch -V°u Purchased with notice of the 1 rust & for cause you kept lOIi. in v'r hand & have soe kept it for sevrall y'rs which* you have kept m y'r hands & this you purchasd after a snitp ( Oia enccd & if I nnstak not the cause was heard & a decree made before y'r purchase however v'r liavemg notice makes you lyeable & to stand in the place of John Aldcroft who is the obstacle & hind- rance in the affaire & who cares not whether you or his Aunt or relations to whom the money is due starve or not haveing noe reguard to the honesty & Justice of the Case but his present mainetenance & advantage for certainly if hee had should have agreed [to] this matter long since and not lett the moneys lye dead in y'r hands without answering interest which you are pleased to mencon [mention] in y'r letter hath beene all the tyme since y'r pur- chase but I doubt that will not bee an excuse to you for non paym't it being manifest that Jo. Aldcroft had nothing to doe with the SOli. & interest for the severall Legacyes did comence from the Bill being exhibitted which I beleeveis neer 20 yOn: agoe & you oannott pr'tend to bee deceived for that you had notice fully and soe stand in John Aldcrofts place which you may doe well to consider of & p happs you may find true what I here affect to y'r damage however if you think fitt too bee p'swaded I have with great difficulty by the advice of others prevayld with Mr. Worthington to accept of 801i. & by this agreem't which I hope you have not reason or cause to refuse there wilbe something comeing to Jo. Aldcroft after the 801i. p'd but this is not to bee obligeing without acceptance & if I did not deal with an old freind and one I think may rely on will not make any use of this to the prejudice of 1" iiiy Cly'(ent) scored oui] Mr (sic) Worthington I would not give you this trouble from 21st May 1702. y'rs N. BRITLAND. y'r Answer is desired. X. (To be continued.) [640] CROUGIITON RATES, 1683. Amonyst the St Oswald's Parish papers there is the following Order of Distress for Poor Rates in Croughton, dated 1683 It will be noticed that the order is signed by Sir Peter Pyndar, who formed the subject of some discussion in the first volume of the Cheshire Sheaf." E. C. L To the Church Wardens and the Com. Cestr. ou'seers of ye poore of the parish of St. Oswalds and to eu'y of them and to the Constables of Croughton. (L.S.) Forasmuch as the persons undernamed have refused to pay you the seu ail summes of (L.S.) money menconed in the Assesment annexed and Xdjoyiielng to their seu'all and respective names being charged upon them seu'ally for and towards the releife of the poore of the sd. parish These are in his Ma'tyes name to command you to Leavy the sd. summes by distresse and sale of the seu'all and respective goods of the sd. seu'all and respective offend'rs Rendring the partyes the Ou'plus If any be and in defect of such distresse you are to Certifye to them they may be further proceeded ag't as to Justice shall apperteine Gwen under our Hands and Seales at Glov'stone the 5th Day of May Anno Dili 1683 Pe: Pyndar Ken. Eyton Thomas Moorton 00: 03: 05 Richd Davies 00 03 04 Alee Daniele Wido 00 04 04 Cha: Swinlow 00 01 06 John Bostock 00 00 04 John Smith 00 02 01 Ye Deane and Chapter for i A„ ffee-farme Rent and TyethsJ • 0.3 I QUERY. [641] BOUNDARIES OF ST. OSWALD'S, CHESTER. (See No. 609.) In the perambulation of the bounds of this Parish in 1620 the perambulators are stated as having, after passing over the Port Pool Bridge, &c., followed "the watercourse at the ends of certaine of the" Port Pool meadows to "the further stone b:idge in Mollington Lane." If this means that the present brook called Finchett's Gutter was followed it would leave out a large piece of land now included in St. Oswald's Parish. This land extends from the present Stone Bridge on the Saughall Road, along that road to the end of the plantation which borders it for some distance, thence to a point on the Parkgate Road between the entrance to the lane leading to Blacon Hall and the road bridge over the Canal, then along the Parkgate Road to the bridge on Finchett's Gutter, and so back, following that watercourse, to the starting point at Stone Bridge, Saughall Road. Is it not probable that the watercourse mentioned in the perambulation is not the present Finchett's Gutter but the one which once ran from the direction of Backford, along the course of the Canal, and so past the above mentioned western boundary of St. Oswald's Parish into the Port Pool ? I shall be much obliged if any readers of the "Sheaf" can throw any light on this. I should also be glad to receive information respecting Port Pool Bridge, beyond what is contained in Canon Morris' History of Chester in Plantagenet and Tudor times." Chester. W. H. BENNETT.

---VOLCANIC CATASTROPHE.

£8,1;)0 IX A CASH-BOX.

[No title]

| LOCAL GOVERNMENT JOTTINGS.…

ARMY AND VOLUNTEERS.

[No title]

DISTRICT COUNCILS. —.

LIVERPOOL POLICE SCANDAL.…

[No title]

Advertising

UPTON.

--9 H ELHBY.

. BACKFORD.

MOLD.

MALPAS.

---HAWARDEN.

. TARVIN.

WREXHAM.

— ■ BARROW.

- "'- ROWTON

.-------FLINT.

♦ PARKGATE.

. LITTLE NESTON.